Chapter 59. Sentimiento
Jackson Johnson
Johnson's Penthouse
The elevator doors opened before me. I stepped out and stopped in the foyer, noticing the housekeeper about to leave.
"Welcome, Mr. Johnson. Everything you requested is ready."
"Thank you, you can go rest now." She bid farewell with a warm smile and took her bag to leave. Finally, I was alone in my penthouse. I didn't hear any noise around me; it felt strange to arrive at my place in the city... alone. I dropped my sports bag on the floor and walked to the living room. It was a large open space, with a fireplace in one corner, the kitchen on the other side, and large windows. "What is this feeling?" I had placed my hand on my chest. Was it a void? Could you feel that? I felt weird. My phone rang, and I anxiously searched for it in my pants pocket, thinking it might be Lilly, but the screen showed Jacob. I swiped the button to answer.
"Johnson."
"Bro!" came the voice on the other end. "Are you still in your sanctuary?"
"I just got to the city."
"Oh, great. Can I come to your penthouse to talk? I need to talk."
I frowned.
"Are you drunk?"
"A little, but I'm fine," he chuckled, "Well, sort of."
"Tell me where you are so I can pick you up. Don't you dare drive in that state, Jacob."
"Alright, I'm here, at the entrance of your building." I raised my eyebrows.
"Oh, then what are you waiting for? Come up. Can you stand?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll come up, authorize me."
Minutes later, the elevator doors opened, and in walked a very drunk Jacob. He was grinning like an idiot.
"Let me make you some coffee to bring you down from where you are." I went into the kitchen and searched for coffee. He sat on the stool by the marble island.
"I'm relaxed, it's the weekend..." he started to say as I put the kettle on the stove.
"And tomorrow is Monday, and we have to work."
"Jackson, tell me the truth, have you ever fallen in love again since high school?" His question surprised me. I turned to him; I was on the other side of the island.
"Why that question?"
"Why answer with another question?" I tensed.
"Well," I cleared my throat, "You know that..." he interrupted me.
"You hate going back to the past. But after that, haven't you felt something for someone?"
"Well," I tensed more. Was today the day to talk about what happened years ago? "No. But..." I swallowed with difficulty. "...I don't know."
"Don't know what?" I could see a secret smile he tried to suppress.
"Well, why are you drunk? What's the reason?" I tried to change the subject. The water started to boil, and I turned to make us coffee.
"I think I've met my match." I turned off the stove and looked at him in surprise.
"Have you met someone?"
"Yes."
"Don't tell me it's Lilly's sister."
"If I tell you."
"No, Jacob. She's your employee."
"You'd say the same about yourself, 'She's your employee.'"
"What are you talking about?" I frowned as I prepared his coffee, then mine, placing the sugar and everything else in the middle of the island.
"I went to visit our mother, and she was with Maxine." I stopped my cup halfway to my mouth.
"Those two have gotten very close lately," I growled through clenched teeth.
"Yes, the interesting thing before I greeted them was that they were talking about your employee, Lilly."
"What were they saying?" I asked quickly.
"That there was a change in you since she appeared. Maxine was gloating about something she did, but my mother noticed my presence and signaled her to be quiet."
"Then if it's what I think, the two of them planned it..." I murmured through clenched teeth as Jacob took a long sip of his coffee.
"What do you think they did?" I took a sip from my cup and looked at him when I finished.
"Maxima sent Lilly to the mansion before the Hamptons."
"The one you haven't sold in years?"
"That one."
"Your first buyer's mistake."
"I know, well," I cleared my throat. "She gave her a car, asked her to wait to receive a truck with new furniture, then an agent would arrive..."
"Wait," he took another sip of his coffee. "Why did Maxima send Lilly, who isn't an agent, to the mansion? It's obvious our mother and she are trying to push Lilly on you."
"And they succeeded," I said without a filter. Jacob gasped when he heard me say that.
"NO!" A smile appeared on his lips. "Really? Her?"
"Why do you say 'Her'? What's wrong with that?" I immediately got irritated.
"Calm down, Johnson. I just asked if 'her,' but not in that way. Well, she's your employee, you have rules, I admit, she's beautiful, she's different from all the women you've dated over the years."
"Yes," I smiled. "She is different."
"Well, well, what was that? Did you smile saying those words?" Just as that unexpected smile appeared, it vanished. "Oh, you looked more attractive smiling," he teased, but I ignored him.
"Fine, the topic is you, not me."
"I know." Jacob sighed. "But I see you and I can't believe that..."
"The topic is you, Jacob," I repeated.
"And I want to change it." His voice broke for a moment, and I tensed. It was the first time I heard him like that. "I know everything you went through in school," I lowered my gaze to my coffee cup between my hands. "And everything you had to keep inside, now that we're in our thirties, seeing you sitting there, with your smile and bright eyes," I looked up at him.
"Jacob..."
"Wait, let me finish." His brow furrowed, and I noticed his eyes glistening. "You're my only brother, seeing you finally excited about someone, after everything that was done to you, means a lot to me..." Tears started to fall down his reddened cheeks. "I want you to be happy, Jack, I want you to feel what it's like to..." He tried to control himself, and I... was frozen in place. This was a new Jacob. "...be loved."
"Calm down," I got up from my chair and walked around the island to get closer to him. He kept crying when I hugged him in place, his emotions clearly on the surface. I had never heard him talk like that, nor cry. I don't remember seeing him cry since then. On the contrary, I always thought he was a superhero in my childhood, someone stronger than me. But now that we were both adults, it was more impressive to see him like this, worried about me, happy for what was happening in my personal life.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened to me, I guess in the end... I'm not as strong as I thought." I gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"Sometimes it's good to cry, to let it out and cleanse what you've been carrying."
"You sound like our mother."
"Actually, those are her words." I paused briefly. "But they work." Jacob smiled, wiping his tears clumsily. He had finally calmed down. I returned to my chair and kept looking at him from my spot.
"I'll go to the bathroom..." He got up, and I stayed there, waiting for him for a good while. When I went looking for him, I found him lying face down on one of the living room couches, snoring.
"You never change, Jacob Johnson."